Improvement in electric signaling attachments to railroad-switch locks



f 'D. ROUSSEAU & W. 6. SMITH. ELECTRIC SIGNALING ATTACHMENT Tq RAILROADSWITCH LOCKS. I V N 173,33-g Patented June 20, I876.

@ a a i CYJ fizz'mibm I UNITED STATES PATENT. oi-ma DAVID ROUSSEAU .ANDWILLIAM SMITH, OENEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO WILLIAM F. SMITH ANDSAMUEL SAMUELS, OF SAME PLACE;

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRIC SIGNAEING ATTACHMENTS T0 RAILROAD- S WITCElLOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,880, dated June 20,1876; application filed April 17, 1876.

This invention relates to improvements on self-locking railway-switchesof the kind, sub; stantially, described in our application for a patentfiled February 29,1876, and allowed March 20,1876, and to all otherkinds of switch-locks, and has for its object to combine with the lockof the switch a signal apparatus which will show at a distant placewhether or not the switch is locked. The invention also consists insupplying; the switchmoving' mechanism with a double signal attachmentwhich will indicate at a distant place the exact position of the switchwith reference t0 the'several lines of railroad. In the drawing, theletter A represents one of a pair of movable switch-rails B, a rail ofthe main track, and C a rail of a side track. D is the rod by which the"switch-rails A are moved; E, the vibrating finger or device for movingthe rod D, andF the lockinglever for locking the switch-rod D in itsseveral terminal positions. All these parts are shown to be arranged thesame as they are in our aforementioned application 5 but they may bedifferently arranged. G G are a pair of electric-circuit breakers orclosers, so placed with reference to the locking-lever F, or-aprojecting pin, a, thereon, that they will be affected by said leverwhenever the same is raised, as in Fig. 3. Thus, when the switch isbeing moved, and the lever F in its unloc'king position, a signal tothat efiect will be given at a distant station or other suitable vplace;and if, after the switch has been properly adjusted, the lever F should,from any cause, fail to drop into its locking position,

the station-master or other proper officer will be notified that theswitch is not locked, and may then at once ascertain the cause and curethe defect.

By the above arrangement the proper looking of the switch is insured.Instead of using electric transmission, other methods of operating thedistant signal may be employed, such as pneumatic, hydraulic, ormechanical, and we do not confine ourselves to any particular system ofsignal-operating t'. 0., starting-mechanism.

v The rod D carries a projecting lug, b, which, at the end of eachmotion of said rod, comes in contact with one of two sets ofelectric-circuit closers or' breakers, H and I, or other equivalentdevices, reaching to different signals, to show that the switch isopened or closed, as the case may be.

Weare aware that switch-rods have aling the switch from either directionand on either track. Whenever the switch is placed in line with the sidetrack, the lug 12 leaves contact with circuit-closer H, and by so doing.opens the same and causes the proper danger-signal to be given on themain track, and reaches contact'with the circuit-closer I, to give theproper safety-signal at the side track, and the reverse when the switchis set in line with the main track. The nature of the signal employed-isnot within the scope of our present invention, as any suitable style ofsignal may be used.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination of the switch locking leverF and sliding switch-rod Dwith the signal-transmitting device G331arranged so that a signal will be given whenever said lever does notlock the switch-red D, snbstam tially as herein shown and described.

2. In combination with the switch-rod D, which carries the" lug; b, theindependent signal-transmitting devices H and I, to be alternatelyaffected and moved by said lug at the two extremes of the position ofthe switch, substantially as specified.

Thef'oregbing description of ourinvention signed by us this 14th day ofApril, 1876. i i DAVID ROUSSEAU.

W. 0. SMITH.

Witnesses:

ERNEST G. WEBB, OTTO A. \VEIDNER.

